Liquid cooler



Nov. 11, 1947.

F. E. LYNN LIQUID COOLER Filed Nov. 28, 1944 q E mw 1/ 1/ 1/ I, r Il 1/ INVENTOR. REDEkICK L wwv. I BY b/ H 7' TORNE 7f Patented Nov. 11, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 LIQUID COLER I Frederick E. Lynn, Sprlngdale, Pa. Application November 28, 1944, Serial No. 565,541

My invention relates more particularly to a beverage serving system and apparatus, and especially to means for cooling or chilling beverages such as beer during flow thereof from a container can be maintained in service while 'other faucets or pipes supplying the same are being replaced or repaired.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement wherein danger of leakage of refrigerant liquid into the beverage pipes or leakage from the beverage pipes into the refrigerant conduit or expansion chamber is minimized, without substantial detraction from the effectiveness of the heat transfer as between the beverage pipes and the refrigerant.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a refrigerating or cooling system that can conveniently be expanded to care for more than one group of dispensing faucets.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the apparatus, partly in section; Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view showing the manner in which the refrigeraant conduit that chills the beer pipes is connected to the supply and exhaust lines; Fig. 4 is an end elevational view, on a reduced scale of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1, with a dispens-.

ing faucet in place, and Fig. 5 shows a modification of the view of Fig. 2.

The cooling medium can be supplied from any.

suitable source, but I here show a conventional mechanical refrigerating system on a reduced scale, including the usual motor 6, compresser I, condenser 8, expansion valve 9, thermostat bulb 5, capillary tube l0, and back-pressure and temperature regulating valve H, the refrigerant liquid flowing through a supply pipe l2, a com duit I3--l3a, and a return pipe M.

A beer keg or other beverage receptacle is shown at I5. Fluid motivating pressure such as carbon dioxide or air is supplied thereto by a pipe Hi from a suitable source. while a beverage 2 pipe I! leads therefrom to a faucet I8. Various other beverage pipes such as l9 and 20 usually will be included in the system and may suitably lead from other beverage containers to faucets. The beer pipes are surrounded by a heat-insulating sleeve 22 that extends from a heat insulated chamber 23 that may suitably be located in the cellar of a building, into a chamber 24 in the room where the beverage is to be dispensed.

An important feature of my invention resides in the shape of the refrigerant conduit l3 which is of irregular tubular form and preferably of noncorrosive metal. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, longitudinally-extending grooves or channels are formed in the walls of the conduit, each groove or channel having a curvature preferably slightly in excess of -degrees and closely embracing the beverage pipes I|l9-20 that are of block tin or other malleable or springy material, particularly as to those portions that lie within the grooves |3b within the conduit l3 and grooves Be in the conduit l3a. This arrangement not only gives extended areas for heat transfer as between the pipes and the conduit wall, but also permits convenient removal of one or more of the pipes without disturbing the other pipes. In the case of malleable tubes, they will be pressed into snug engagement with the groove wall, while springy tubes will expand into snug fit. The yieldable gripping action of the groove walls maintains snug contact between the pipes and the conduit and also permits convenient placing and removal of the pipes. It will be understood that the refrigerant fluid'flows through the conduit l3 and chilling action takes place through the wall thereof and the walls of the beverage pipes. It will also be seen that danger of leakage such as would cause the refrigerant to contaminate the beverage or the beverage to enter into the refrigerant system is reduced by reason of the fact that there are two wall thickness between these fluids, namely the walls of the pipes and the wall of the conduit.

The system can conveniently be expanded to supply groups of faucets in addition to the group associated with the box 24. To this end, a, refrigerantconduit 26 similar to l3 and Ba can be tapped into or connected between these conduits and lead to a similarly formed conduit 21, contained within a chamber 28 and beverage pipes such as the pipe I! can be branched to supply beverage pipes that extend along the conduit 26 and through an insulating sleeve 30, or pipes such as 2| extended at 29, to supply a faucet or fau ets. at the chamber 28. The system can be 3 thus extended to still other beverage dispensing stations, if desired. Also the pipe ll could lead directly from another beverage container instead of from a pipe within the sleeve 32.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modification of the heattransfer elements of the other fig res. In this case, a refrigerant conduit 32 that corresponds to the conduits lS-ila is of circular form and has welded, brazed. or soldered thereto channel-like elements 33 in which the beverage pipes It fit. These elements can be made of copper, bronze, steel, or other suitable material. In this case also. the heat-transfer elements 31 have snug fitting engagement with the beverage pipes 34 throughout somewhat more than Nil-degrees. The channel elements may be of springy material to snugly and releasably hold the pipes in place, or the pipes may be of springy materials such as tin, or may be of malleable material such as block tin and sprung or snugly pressed into the channels.

I claim as my invention:

1. A heat exchanger system comprising a conduit having approximately semi-circular seating surfaces on its exterior surface, a second conduit of similar form extending laterally thereof and connected at one end to an intermediate portion of the first-named conduit, and fluid-conducting pipes lying in the said seating surfaces of the conduits, certain of the pipes lying along the first conduit, and other pipes extending along seating surfaces in the first-named conduit and also the,

seats on the second conduit.

A heat exchanger system comprising a conduit having approximately semi-circular seating surfaces on its exterior surface, a second conduit of similar form extending laterally thereof and connected at one end to an intermediate portion of the first-named conduit. and fluid-conducting pipes lying in the said seating surfaces of the conduits, certain of the pipes lying along the 40 1,332,327

first conduit. and other pipes constituting branches of the first-named pipes and extending along the seats on the second conduit.

3. A heat exchanger comprising a conduit of tubular form that is tapered at its ends for con-- I nection to inlet and outlet pipes that are of smaller diameter than the conduit. the outer surface of the conduit having depressions formed therein that extend longitudinally. thereof and are transversely curved and whose walls are yieldable, and fluid-conducting pipes snugly fitting within the depressions and yieldably gripped by the walls thereof.

4. Aheatexchanger comprising a conduit of tubular form that is tapered at its ends for connection to inlet and outlet pipes that are of smaller diameter than the conduit. the outersurface of the conduit being provided with outwardly-exposed seats that cxtend longitudinally of the conduit and are transversely curved to approximately semi-circular form, and fluid-conducting pipes snugly fitting within the depressions and gripped by the walls thereof.

5. A heat exchanger comprising a conduit of tubular form that is tapered at its ends for connection to inlet and outlet pipes that are of smaller diameter than the conduit, the outer surface of the conduit being provided with outwardly-exposed seats that extend longitudinally of the .conduit and are transversely curved through slightly greater than 180 degrees, and fluid-conducting pipes snugly fitting within the depressions and yieldably gripped by the walls The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 983,680 Butcher Feb. 7, 1911 Eastwood Mar. 2, 1920 2,000,906 Turner May 14, 1935 2,119,451 Turner May 31, 1938 2,191,623 Philipp Feb. 27, 1940 2,244,327 Brundage June 3, 1941 yieldably 

